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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470636">Green</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalika_999/pseuds/kalika_999'>kalika_999</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jack and Brock's misadventures [110]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, HYDRA Husbands, Interspecies Relationship(s), Lagos Didn't Happen, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:08:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalika_999/pseuds/kalika_999</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He'll wait, no matter how long it takes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Rollins/Brock Rumlow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jack and Brock's misadventures [110]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/547894</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Green</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/quillingyousoftly/gifts">quillingyousoftly</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is for my lovely future wifey who always makes me laugh even if I can't English properly whenever we talk.  This piece is kind of an experimental idea, but you were on my mind when I was writing it so I hope you like it. 💙</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Brock, what did you do?” Bucky exclaimed, folding his arms as he began pacing outside the bathroom door in the hallway.  He took a moment to peek back inside, like he was checking if he was seeing things or not before continuing. Brock huffed in annoyance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were in his apartment and Bucky decided to intervene in whatever he thought Brock was peddling in.  Of course it ended up not being about drugs, guns or some other shit, but it was still a big deal and it didn’t take Brock long to decide he’d prove it to his best friend and mutter for him to brace himself.  And Bucky, slightly surprised at himself, didn’t exit the apartment like Brock may have figured he would, though he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing with his own two eyes.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember that last base?” Brock said, staring at him carefully. “The one I said had no signs of life?  Well, I kinda lied.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky frowned and glanced over at the creature currently staring back at him from the bathtub with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. Muscular arms seemed to lazily rest along the lip, scarred chin propped on them.  Its expression was mostly stoic, clearly finding him not a threat. (Which, fucking rude. He definitely was a threat.) Its hair was dark and slicked back from the water, gills currently still since he couldn’t really submerge himself with dark almost metallic-looking scales that crawled downwards along his sides and disappeared past the tub wall and he followed them along until Bucky swallowed thickly to the sight of the creature’s long tail hanging off the edge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I gotta get ‘im a tank.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A tank?!” Bucky spat out. “Your apartment can barely contain you, and you’ve got a fucking fish- “</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s a merman!” Brock defended.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<em>Who cares!</em> A fish man, a merman, how do you even know he wants to be here? Can he even speak?” Bucky was going to get an aneurism, it wasn’t going to be from Steve’s bullshit, it would be from Brock. “Seriously, what the fuck, Brock.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Brock rolled his eyes. “Of fuckin’ course he can speak, he jus ain’t speakin’ to ya.  Maybe if ya quit yellin’ he would, that or he’ll attack you. One or the other.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An annoyed noise escaped from Bucky’s throat, and Brock grinned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How exactly did he get from a rundown base, to your place?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I figured out a way.” Was all Brock said and that didn’t calm the urge Bucky had building up inside of him to yell again. “We got there jus in time too, the thing he was in had a leak and it was dirty as fuck.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And this is better?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pushing past him, Brock hopped up on the bathroom counter and smirked. “Why m’gonna need a tank fer ‘im.  He tells me if he feels uncomfortable, trust me, ain’t shy about bein’ annoyin’ as all hell if he needs to be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence was heavy, the three of them just staring at each other until Brock rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. “His name’s Jack.  I think it’s short fer somethin’ but he can’t remember exactly, been awhile since he’s been in a real ocean and shit like that.” He gestured with a jut of his chin as he kept his eyes on Jack but was gesturing at Bucky. “He don’t bite, he got some issues but he’s good.  You can talk around ‘im.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack slunk back against the tiled wall instead, eyes not leaving Brock’s gaze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Brock smiled, light and fond. “Yeah I know, don’t blame ya.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky felt himself deflate. “What’s he eat?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seafood, dipshit.  What else would he eat?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Bucky wondered if he was dreaming in a cryo somewhere, it would have made more sense than what was going on here. “I’ll be back then, if I’m going to brainstorm with you we’re going to need some lunch.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure.” Brock called out as Bucky headed towards the door. “Get some red meat if it’s on sale. He ate all the steak I had.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky stuttered in his step at the meaning behind that before he walked a little faster to the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span></span></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*****</p>
</div><p>
  <span>Brock was in a coma when the building fell on him. Bucky took over visiting the warehouse Jack was moved to that only he was aware of.  Jack refused to talk to him though, waiting underwater and eyeing the entry way for his return. It was rare for him to surface when Bucky would throw in his meals unless it was to scope out if he happened to miss Brock’s arrival.  He must have realized it was something more than just a mere hospital stay after a couple weeks passed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why isn’t Brock back yet?” Jack demanded. Bucky blinked up from his phone, staring at the top of the tank, Jack perched near the metal ladder there. He’d heard his voice a few times when he'd visited while Brock was there, but Jack never bothered to address him generally. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something went wrong.” Bucky eluded, voice harder than he’d intended. Jack stared, expecting more, and Bucky could only shake his head. “If he makes it, he won’t be back here for a long time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack opened his mouth to say something before he only snapped it shut and glared down at him. They watched each other for a long few seconds and then Jack was gone, back into the depths of the water.  Bucky could have hit the tank lights to see where he lurked but the message was loud and clear that he wanted to be left alone.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t blame him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span></span></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*****</p>
</div><p>
  <span>Bucky figured maybe if he introduced Jack to some of the avengers, he would feel less lonely looking for Brock to come in through the doors, and he began to hate seeing the stab of disappointment before he’d deep dive away back under the water and ignore Bucky’s visit despite relying completely on him for food and water changes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Clint that Jack took to quickly.  He supposed because Clint had been a circus act back when and they could kind of share stories about things like that, and probably because Clint was a weirdo himself, it was a fit for them both.  If Bucky didn’t know any better, he'd say Jack treated Clint like his own, always badgering him about his bruises and bandages. Barton had even gotten it into his head to improve the tank and instead of talking to Jack against the ladder, he built himself a kind of perching dock to sit at and roll up the leg of his pants to dip them in.  It was kind of gross, if Bucky thought about it, Jack basically lived in filtered water that he went to the bathroom in and ate food in and Clint was treating it like a poolside resort, but he didn’t say anything about it. As long as Jack had someone to talk to instead of pouting over Brock not being around, Bucky didn’t care. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s weird seeing you smile.” Bucky commented one day, when Clint had to take off to check up on Lucky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack stared at him carefully, like he was sizing him up before approaching the ladder. “Better than staring at the doors all the time.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky drew in a breath, slowly exhaling. “He’ll be back soon, they've got him stable now.” He hesitated, metal fingers tapping along his thigh. “It’s hard when it’s someone you care a lot about. I get it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<em>Love</em>.” Jack corrected, and Bucky raised a brow. “It’s hard when you love them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky watched him dive back into the water before he could comment; long, glittery tail flicking water upwards in his general direction before his shadowy figure was gone into the murkiness completely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He supposed he should have figured that out a long time ago too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span></span></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*****</p>
</div><p>
  <span>Brock hadn’t immediately returned to the warehouse after he was released from the hospital.  Clint wanted to go drag his ass from his apartment and shake him out of his clear self-isolation, bring him to where Jack had been waiting and swimming erratically in circles for months over, but Bucky told him to wait. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This isn’t Brock.” Bucky explained, pensive. “Well, not all of Brock. He’s pissed and got more than one chip on his shoulder.  He doesn’t want to talk to anyone right now and maybe we should let him feel like that right now. Besides, he just got out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clint frowned. “But Jack should get the chance to know he’s out.  He’s been waiting and hoping for a while now. He has a right to when it was Brock who got him outta that Hydra mess.”   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bucky shook his head. “And if we tell him and Brock still refuses to come here, he won’t react well. Just give it time, don’t tell him anything, Clint.  Let’s see how it goes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clint folded his arms. “Fine, for now I’ll keep my mouth shut.  But if he finds out it was kept a secret, I’m blaming the whole thing on you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span></span></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*****</p>
</div><p>
  <span>It was late, even for Bucky to show up, and Jack could only assume it was someone unwelcome entering the space he’d stayed hidden in for almost a year.  Silently surfacing, Jack gripped the lip of the tank to watch one lone figure sweep the beam of a flashlight across the floor before turning back toward the door to lock it closed again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t just <em>someone</em>, footsteps making their way to the tank and climbing it. Jack sunk into the water, surfaced just enough for the water line to sit across the bridge of his nose as he waded backwards against the opposing glass wall ready for anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re still alive.” A gravelly voice said, and Jack squinted through the barely there beam of light.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If Jack were honest, everything about Brock was unfamiliar. He smelled differently to him, he was no longer built as he once was, less muscle and was now covered in so many scars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you.” Jack murmured as he resurfaced a tiny bit only to speak, the ripple of water hitting his chin. He continued to study Brock as he watched him notice the small platform dock Clint had made, gingerly making his way towards it to sit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, been dyin’.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack wasn’t sure to approach, not until there was a heavy sigh in the darkness and then a hand came out, palm face up as his knuckles skimmed the water.  Jack couldn’t help the grin, all sharp teeth, before he pushed off the glass wall and swam towards Brock, cool hand pressed to his warm one as he rested the other at Brock’s knee delicately, unsure of how much damage his body had taken.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pushed himself partially out of the water and hoisted his frame onto the wood. A hand cupped at the mess of scarring across Brock’s face and he only held his breath when the man tensed, only exhaling when he finally leaned into it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t leave me again.” Jack warned, despite not having any leverage on the threat. Brock turned his head only enough to press a kiss into pale bluing skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t stay ‘ere no more, Jackie.  Thinkin’ about headin’ north.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tilting his head warily, Jack stared at him in silent questioning and Brock chuckled. “Be ready.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He left him there with that and it wasn’t very long of a wait when a couple days later there was the very clear sound of a truck backing into the lot just before Brock pushed open the rolling bay doors and was entering the warehouse. Eight men followed along and Jack paced in the tank in a tangle of anxiety and excitement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Brock climbed the ladder up and Jack met at the top. “What about everyone else?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’ll get over it.  I’ll send Buck a note or somethin’ later, I jus don’t want no one springin’ to hide you away.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The back of the truck was pushed open to reveal a large pool, two men grabbed poles attached to wet canvas and began approaching, Jack’s shoulders tensing up. “What are they doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Brock smirked. “They gotta get you on a stretcher, sweetheart.  How else ya gonna get moved? Gotta trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Swallowing thickly, Jack gripped tight to Brock’s forearm and he gently shushed him. “Gonna watch the whole thing, they’ll get ya outta ‘ere, set you up and we’ll go on a drive.  Easy. You ready fer this, Jackie?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack chewed at his lip before nodding, his tail skimming along the surface. “I trust you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time after so long, Jack saw Brock smile, the way he remembered him and it calmed the rapid beat of his heart. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes slipped closed when Brock leaned in to press a kiss to his temple and it suddenly felt like they were back at the rundown Hydra base as Jack waited for death to finally grab a hold of him, the water in his tank dangerously low and polluted.  He startled to the thick glass shattering and then there was Brock, wild eyed but determined to pull him from his prison. Jack warred on it being another test from the scientists, another trick, but desperation to live took over and Brock softened, his Shield gear soaked and kneeling in a shallow pool of water, hand still out. “You jus gotta trust me.” He’d said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Jack did then too.  He always would.</span>
</p>
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